Rocky Starts
by Jade Natsugawa
Summary: After only two akuma fights, Marinette is still having trouble mastering her life as a superheroine.


It's impossible to get _everything_ right on your first try. Everyone makes mistakes at first. Like riding a bike, or doing math- at first, you'll make mistakes, but over time, you'll learn how to improve and fix them.

Right?

Marinette tries to believe this piece of wisdom. After all, she's been chosen to be Ladybug, and after almost quitting, she felt that she should be more careful about how she dealt with the powers. However, looking down at the red and black spotted yoyo in her belt, her nervousness overcomes her again. How is she supposed to do this?! Before Stoneheart, she'd never even used a yoyo in her life! So how is she supposed to save Paris in her tight red superhero outfit when she has barely any experience? Not to mention the fact that she's going to have tons of people following her with cameras and sparkling eyes… despite the obvious fact that she's a superheroine, Marinette has _no_ confidence whatsoever.

But despite this growing sense of self-doubt, she can't just leave Paris to die at the hands of Hawk Moth's vicious akumas. And currently, there is one out there, wreaking its usual havoc in hopes that she- Ladybug- would show up to make everything right. And, well, she can't just leave the akuma- well, Hawk Moth, really- hanging. Ladybug carefully opens her window and jumps out onto the rooftops, choosing to ignore the fact that she almost died by getting her yoyo stuck in the window frame and therefore tripping over her own feet, like the klutz she is. Oh, god… she's _never_ going to master this superheroine life.

Adrien is in his room and having just as much trouble as Marinette did. Yes, he's taken fencing classes for a couple years now, but he just can't seem to do it with this thick metal pole. With his luck, he's going to hit himself in the face instead of the akuma, and if it left a serious enough injury, he would have to explain (well, lie) to his father why he was injured and couldn't do his photoshoots. Why was he chosen to be Chat Noir if he can barely operate the stupid baton?

With great effort, he manages to vault himself out of his window and land (not so gracefully, he might add) on the neighboring rooftop. He wipes the dirt off his black leather suit, a little bit irritated, and continues on his journey to the akuma's location.

It only takes a minute or two of vaulting over rooftops before he meets his lady, observing the akumatized villain from behind a chimney. He tumbles over to her and slides down next to her, surreptitiously trying not to get his tail stuck. "H-hello, m'lady. Today's a paw-sitively purr-fect day, is it not?" He stutters, attempting to control the red flush rising under his cheeks. It's only been two days! Should he be in love with his partner after only two days of work, when he was still so unfamiliar with his brand-new job?

"Okay, I appreciate that you're trying to be funny, Chat Noir, but now is not the time," she huffs, turning away. "Do you see that book in the villain's left hand?" Chat Noir squints, trying to focus on the slim villain that is bouncing around the streets. Finally, he catches a glimpse of it.

"Yeah," he replies.

"That's most likely where the akuma is, but it seems that we can't get too close." As she says this, Chat Noir observes the villain. She's slender and has an outfit that is purple with thick green zebra stripes. He focuses next on her actions- whenever she comes across someone, she lets out a wave of purple light, and that person disappears. "So… I guess I'm going to use my Lucky Charm, then." She takes a deep breath, like she's still nervous about how she's going to do this, and conjures up a red and black spotted pillowcase. "...what?"

"How are you going to use that, M'lady? Put the akuma to sleep?" Chat Noir jokes, although despite the flirtatious tone of his words, he's genuinely curious.

Ladybug thinks for a moment, muttering nervously to herself. Chat guesses that she's not entirely used to thinking up plans to save Paris yet. He's just about to try to assist her (in what little ways he can) when she springs up, a bright smile on her face. "Chat Noir, how good are you at tying knots?"

Ladybug springs up on top of the chimney. "Here we are!"

As the villain turns her head, Ladybug reviews her plan in her head. Yes, it's crazy and a little far-fetched, and she's entrusting everything to her feline partner, but she'll just have to roll with it. The villain has to shoot the purple light out of her book, which means that she uses both hands- her right hand to shoot the light and her left hand to hold the book. When the light shoots out, it stops when it hits an object. So all Chat Noir has to do is tie the pillowcase around her hands while Ladybug runs around. Then, Ladybug will come and break the book from inside the pillowcase (if she can) and the akuma will be freed. She shoves the pillowcase to Chat Noir and whispers her plan to him as the villain positions herself to shoot a wave of light.

Immediately, Chat Noir bounds off the roof while Ladybug remains standing on it. The villain narrows her eyes and fires a wave of light at Ladybug, who springs out of the way. Her eyes flicker to Chat Noir, who is behind Ladybug and struggling with his baton. She gets why, figuring that it was the same kind of trouble she was having with her yoyo that morning. She fights back the urge to laugh when he accidentally presses the wrong button and the baton jabs him in the head. As funny as the scene is, she prays that he'll hurry up and save Paris.

"Come on, Marinette," she whispers to herself, returning her focus to the villain's attacks. "You just have to dodge her light waves. And actually capture the akuma this time." She cringes as she remembers the mistake she made with Stoneheart, and vows not to let it happen again. But, because there's always a new mistake to be made, she gets caught up in her thoughts and trips over her own feet. Perfect.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir shouts as she tumbles to the ground. The villain, finding this a good opportunity to strike, moves her right hand towards the book. She's about to strike when she lets out a scream of rage- Chat Noir has successfully carried out their plan. The pillowcase is knotted tightly around her hands, and while she tries to shoot, the ray of light only goes as far as the pillowcase lets it. Chat Noir raises a fist in victory and bounds back up to Ladybug, sticking his hand out in front of hers. "Need some help, M'lady?"

"Yeah, thanks, Chat Noir," Ladybug smiles gratefully, a little bit flustered at her own clumsiness. She takes Chat Noir's hand, and he gently pulls her up. When she's standing, she leaps off the roof and into the street, where the villain is still struggling with her pillowcase. "There we go," Ladybug says (trying not to sound smug) as she feels around for the book inside the pillowcase and snaps it in half. Immediately, the purple butterfly phases through the thin material and into the air, where Ladybug snatches it up with her yoyo. "No more evil-doing for you, little akuma!"

When the whole de-evilizing process is done and Paris is returned to normal, Ladybug and Chat Noir bump fists. "Pound it!"

Ladybug turns back around to find a young girl with a pink dress and brown hair. "What happened?" the girl asks.

"You were akumatized," Ladybug states simply, handing the girl her book, which she takes and hugs tightly to her chest. "Chat Noir, can you take her home?"

"Certainly, M'lady," he smiles, rushing to help the girl stand up.

_She's in good hands_, Ladybug thinks happily to herself as she walks over to the nearest alley and detransforms into Marinette.

When she finally gets to her room after dealing with her parents' wails and reprimanding, Marinette collapses on her bed. "Tikki?" She calls out to her kwami.

"Yes, Marinette?" comes the high-pitched response of the red and black spotted creature.

"I've been thinking…" Marinette sighs. "Even if I have a rocky start with my superpowers, I'm going to keep being Ladybug. I think I'm on the right track," she grins at Tikki. "Maybe I'll even get to be less of a klutz while I work, too. Although from the looks of it, Chat Noir seemed to be in a similar situation to mine."

"Yes, Marinette!" Tikki chirps. "It's hard to adjust to this new life in the beginning. It has been for all the miraculous holders. But I believe in you! You're going to come out strong!"

Marinette smiles gratefully. "Thanks, Tikki."


End file.
